Wise vs Revolut at a glance
Wise is an e-money and money transfer company: no plans, no monthly fee, and a fee each time you convert. Revolut is a banking app with a free Standard plan and paid tiers, and in the UK and the EU it is a licensed bank. The table compares the personal accounts for a US resident and a resident of Germany.
Personal accounts as of October 2026. Sources: Finder US and UK reviews (March to September 2026), Finanztip (August and September 2026), Which? (June 2026) and PYMNTS (January 2026), each cited in the sections below.
| Feature | Wise | Revolut |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | None | Standard free; Premium $9.99 and Metal $16.99 a month in the US; Plus €2.99 (about $3) and Premium €8.99 (about $10) in Germany |
| Conversion | Mid-market rate plus a fee from 0.43% (US), varying by currency; €6.21 (about $7) to send €1,000 (about $1,140) into dollars from Germany | Standard: no fee on weekdays within a $1,000 allowance (US) or €1,000 (about $1,140) a month (Germany); 0.5% above the allowance in Germany |
| Weekend conversions | Mid-market rate plus the usual fee | 1% markup in the US and on Standard in Germany; 0.5% on Plus in Germany |
| Free ATM cash | $250 a month (US, Finder August 2026; up to $100 twice a month in Finder's May 2026 review); £250 a month (UK) | No fee at about 55,000 in-network ATMs (US); €200 or 5 withdrawals a month (Germany) |
| Account details | Free receipt of non-wire payments in 10 currencies | German IBAN in Germany; in the US an account FDIC insured through Lead Bank |
| Regulation | Not a bank: e-money institution in the UK (Financial Conduct Authority); money services business in the US | Bank in the UK; Lithuanian banking license in the EU; fintech with partner banks in the US |
| Who can open | Varies by country of residence; the card works in 160 countries, which is not the same list | Residents of its markets, 40 countries as of January 2026 |
| Business account | One-time $31 (US) | From $10 a month (US) |
Wise suits people who convert at weekends, live outside Revolut's markets or need local details in several currencies. Revolut suits residents of its markets who convert on weekdays, inside the free allowance or on a paid plan, and, in the UK or the EU, want a bank account rather than e-money.
Exchange rates and conversion fees compared
Wise converts at the mid-market rate whenever you convert (Finder, Wise review, May 4, 2026) and adds a fee. For US customers that fee starts at 0.43% and varies by currency (Finder, August 19, 2026). From Germany, Wise's lowest fee to send €1,000 (about $1,140) to a US account in dollars was €6.21 (about $7), or about 0.62% (Finanztip, August 31, 2026).
Revolut charges no fee on weekdays within your plan's allowance. The US Standard plan has a $1,000 fee-free exchange allowance for exchanges made between 6pm Sunday and 5pm Friday Eastern time (Finder, Revolut review, September 2, 2026), and exchanges outside the free allowance cost extra (Finder). In Germany the Standard allowance is €1,000 (about $1,140) a month, Plus raises it to €3,000 (about $3,410), Premium and the plans above it have no limit, and conversions above an allowance carry a 0.5% fee (Finanztip, Revolut review, September 25, 2026).
So on weekdays Revolut Standard costs nothing within the allowance, while Wise charges on every conversion. Above the allowance the gap is small: Revolut charges 0.5% in Germany (Finanztip) against about 0.62% for Wise's euro-to-dollar transfer (Finanztip), and Wise's fee varies by currency, so on large monthly amounts compare the quote each app shows for your own currencies.
| First €1,000 (about $1,140), inside the allowanceFree on weekdays | €0 |
|---|---|
| Next €2,000 (about $2,280), above the allowance0.5% fee | €10 (about $11) |
| Weekend markup if all €3,000 (about $3,410) is converted on a Saturday1% on Standard; 0.5% on Plus | €30 (about $34) |
| Converted on a Saturday (on weekdays: €10, about $11) | €40 (about $46) |
Fees from Finanztip's Revolut review as of September 25, 2026.
Card payments at weekends convert at Revolut's weekend rate
A card payment in a currency you do not hold converts at the moment you pay, so a Saturday dinner in Lisbon paid from a US dollar balance carries Revolut's weekend markup: 1% in the US (Finder, Revolut review), and in Germany 1% on Standard and 0.5% on Plus (Finanztip). Convert into euros on a weekday before the trip, or pay weekend bills with a card that has no weekend markup.
Spending abroad and ATM withdrawals
Finder's review of August 19, 2026 puts the US Wise card at a one-time $9, with $250 a month of free ATM withdrawals and then $1.95 plus 1.95% per withdrawal (Finder). Its Wise review of May 4, 2026 lists the first card as free and gives a lower free amount in its text, up to $100 twice a month (Finder, Wise review). In the UK the card costs £7 (about $9) to order and the free amount is £250 (about $332) a month, with 2.69% on the excess (Which?, table as of June 4, 2026).
Revolut's US Standard plan has no withdrawal fee at about 55,000 in-network ATMs, and a fee applies once you take more than $1,200 a month from out-of-network machines (Finder, Revolut review). In Germany the Standard plan covers €200 (about $228) or 5 withdrawals a month, then charges 2% with a €1 (about $1) minimum (Finanztip).
Paid plans raise the free amount. In Germany, Premium at €8.99 (about $10) a month allows €400 (about $455) of free withdrawals and Metal at €15.99 (about $18) allows €800 (about $910) (Finanztip). Whichever card you carry, refuse an ATM's or shop terminal's offer to charge you in your home currency: the machine's operator then sets the rate, outside both apps' pricing.
Account details and getting paid by clients
Wise gives you local account details, so a client pays you by a domestic transfer instead of an international wire. Wise receives non-wire payments free in 10 currencies: AUD, CAD, EUR, GBP, HUF, NZD, RON, SGD, TRY and USD (Finder, Wise review).
That makes Wise the simpler account for invoicing clients in several countries. A UK client pays your pound details by a domestic transfer, a German client pays your euro details by SEPA, and a US client pays your dollar details by ACH, each as if you were a local supplier.
Card payments from clients are a separate product. Stripe's services are available in more than 40 countries (NerdWallet, Stripe fees, July 17, 2026), and a Wise or Revolut account only receives the payouts, so it does not settle whether Stripe takes a non-resident's business.
Revolut gives its customers in Germany a German IBAN (Finanztip). In the US, domestic wires in or out cost $10 each (Finder, Revolut review).
Who can open Revolut, and where the Wise card works
Revolut opens accounts only for residents of the markets it serves: the EEA, the UK, Switzerland, the US, Australia, Singapore and Japan (Finder UK, Revolut review, June 17, 2026). It launched a full bank in Mexico in January 2026, which brought its presence to 40 countries, including Brazil and Colombia, where it already operated (PYMNTS, January 27, 2026).
To open Revolut's German account you must be an adult who lives in Germany (Finanztip). Georgia is not one of Revolut's markets (Finder UK, Revolut review), so a nomad based in Tbilisi needs another provider.
Whether Wise opens an account for you depends on your country of residence. Its card can be used in 160 countries (Finder, Wise review), which is a separate list from where you can open an account.
Sign up with your real residential address in a country the provider serves. A virtual mailbox address is a place to receive mail, not proof that you live there.
Moving country with a Revolut account
Keeps working
Ana lives in Lisbon with a Wise account and a Revolut account and moves to Madrid. Spain is in the EEA, one of Revolut's markets, so nothing about her eligibility changes. She updates her address and her tax residence in both apps.
Runs out
Ana moves from Lisbon to Tbilisi instead. Revolut opens accounts only for residents of its markets and Georgia is not one of them, so her account no longer meets its residence condition, and she needs an account from a provider that serves Georgian residents.
Safety, deposit protection and tax reporting
Revolut holds a Lithuanian banking license for its EU business, and deposits in its German branch fall under Lithuania's deposit insurance, not Germany's (Finanztip). In the UK Revolut became a bank in March 2026, with deposits protected by the FSCS up to £120,000 (about $159,000) (Finder UK, Revolut review). In the US it is a fintech company with banking services from partner banks, and its account is FDIC insured through Lead Bank (Finder, Revolut review).
Wise Payments Limited is an authorized e-money institution regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority (Finder UK, Wise vs Revolut, March 23, 2026). A Wise balance is e-money held for you, not a bank deposit. In the US Wise is a money services business, and its balances are not FDIC insured unless you opt in to its interest feature, which then covers them up to $250,000 through its partner banks (Finder, Wise review).
Revolut's bank deposits in the UK and the EU are reportable accounts under CRS reporting. Under the amended rules, in the countries that adopt them, e-money balances such as Wise's count as deposit accounts too, excluded only while their rolling 90-day average stays at or under $10,000 throughout the year (OECD consolidated CRS text, 2025). US accounts are outside CRS, because the United States exchanges under FATCA instead (OECD, status of commitments, September 30, 2026). Neither account changes what you owe: tax follows your residence.
Wise Business vs Revolut Business
Wise Business has no monthly fee: a one-time $31 sets up local account details in 1 of 9 currencies for a US business (Finder, Wise vs Revolut for business, April 30, 2026).
Revolut Business charges a monthly plan: in the US, $10 a month for Basic, $40 for Grow and $140 for Scale, with a 0.4% markup on exchange beyond the plan's allowance (Finder, Revolut Business review, June 5, 2026).
For a freelancer with 1 company invoicing in a few currencies, Wise Business costs less over a year: $31 once, against $120 a year for Revolut's Basic plan (Finder, Wise vs Revolut for business). Revolut Business pays off for teams that need several cards, spending controls and a large monthly exchange allowance, provided the company has a physical presence in a country Revolut lists (Finder, Revolut Business review).
Wise or Revolut for digital nomads: which to choose
- Converting more than Revolut's allowance on weekdays: close. In Germany Revolut Standard charges 0.5% above €1,000 (about $1,140) a month, and Premium at €8.99 (about $10) a month removes the limit (Finanztip), while Wise's lowest fee for euros into dollars worked out to about 0.62% (Finanztip), so compare both quotes for your currency pair.
- Converting at weekends: Wise, which converts at the mid-market rate whenever you convert (Finder, Wise review), while Revolut adds 1% at weekends in the US (Finder, Revolut review) and on Standard in Germany (Finanztip).
- Resident in Germany or another Revolut market and converting within the allowance on weekdays: Revolut Standard, which converts €1,000 (about $1,140) a month without a fee in Germany (Finanztip) and has a $1,000 fee-free weekday allowance in the US (Finder, Revolut review).
- Living in Georgia or another country outside Revolut's markets: not Revolut; Wise if it opens accounts for residents of your country, plus a local bank.
- Invoicing clients in several currencies: Wise, with free receipt of non-wire payments in 10 currencies (Finder, Wise review).
- Wanting a bank deposit rather than e-money: Revolut, in the UK or the EU.
Revolut is the wrong pick if you convert mostly on weekends, live outside its markets or plan to move somewhere it does not serve. Wise is the wrong pick if you need an overdraft, a loan or deposit insurance on a balance you keep outside its interest feature: in the US only opted-in funds are FDIC insured, up to $250,000 through partner banks (Finder, Wise review).
Before you open either account
- Write down the currency pairs you convert each month and the days you convert on: weekend conversions decide more than the headline fee.
- Total a typical month's conversions and set them against Revolut Standard's free weekday allowance: $1,000 in the US (Finder) or €1,000 (about $1,140) a month in Germany (Finanztip).
- Above that in Germany, price Revolut Plus at €2.99 (about $3) a month, which raises the allowance to €3,000 (about $3,410) and cuts the weekend fee to 0.5% (Finanztip), against Wise's quote for the same amount.
- Ask each client how they pay: a domestic non-wire transfer reaches Wise account details free, while an incoming domestic wire costs 0.47% plus $4.15 for most currencies (Finder, Wise review).
- Once on Revolut Standard, keep a running total of your conversions against the allowance, so you know before the next one carries a fee.
David's note
If you live in a Revolut market, I would hold both. Wise has no monthly fee and Revolut Standard is free, so Revolut can carry weekday spending inside the allowance and Wise the weekends and client payments. A review at one of them then leaves you with a second card that still works.
